T20 World Cup 2024: England Overpowers West Indies with Phil Salt's Explosive 8-Wicket Performance

It was all about Salt taking on more of the Caribbean flavor today, as Phil Salt wreaked havoc on the West Indies with an unbeaten 84 to give England an emphatic 8-wicket win on Thursday. England will begin their journey by winning the toss and electing to bowl first. WI started with their usual attacking flow, as the likes of King and Charles took no time to get loose. But, an unexpected injury forced King to retire, leaving only Nicholas Pooran to play the role. Pooran and Charles especially wreaked havoc in the first ten overs, as WI were at a robust 82/0 at the end of the first 10 overs. And this was when England’s fortunes began to change.

Coming in to bat after the break, England began to tighten their grip on the WI batsmen as after a spirited cameo from skipper Rovman Powell, WI stood at 143/4 after 17. Over

But a quick 15-ball 28* from Sherfan Rutherford whose final push helped WI put 180 runs on the board to chase down the English team. There was no let up, as England’s batsmen came out with a sense of purpose and resilience to send a message to the hosts and the rest of the tournament. Phil Salt and Jos Buttler got off to an equally fiery start with 58 runs in the Powerplay, as England faced the dangerous Akel Hossain. But, the introduction of Roston Chase would momentarily change fortunes, as the off-spinner wreaked havoc, dismissing Buttler in a hurry as he conceded just 8 runs in his first two overs, as the momentum shifted.
Andre Russell will also capitalize on the same shift, as he will drop the aggressive Moeen Ali in favor of Jonny Bairstow, marking the beginning of the end for the West Indies.

The salt kept up throughout the spells, as Bairstow came on and broke loose immediately, taking every bowler at will and walloping them for boundaries aplenty, as England piled on 141-2 after 15 overs. Then, it was the Philip Salt show, as the swashbuckling opener raced from 49(37) to 79(43), hitting Romario Shepherd for sixes and fours — 4,6,4,6,6,4 to be exact. — to kill once and for all the hosts’ hopes of smashing 30 runs in a single over. When it was all said and done, Salt would stand tall and unbeaten on 84* off 45 balls with Bairstow as England cruised to an emphatic 8-wicket win with 15 balls to spare.